AMC Theatres to Block Out Space Between Reserved Seats

After being closed since the beginning of March due to the coronavirus pandemic, movie theaters around the country are finally beginning the process of opening their doors to the public once again. AMC Theatres is opening 100 of its locations on Thursday, with more following suit on Friday. Folks that decided to buy tickets to a movie this weekend, most of which are re-releases, noticed that AMC chose a peculiar method of keeping people at a distance. The theater chain blocked out entire rows of its seats, but still sold tickets that were right next to one another, meaning that guests who didn't buy tickets together could potentially sit right next to each other.

A lot of people took to social media to voice their displeasure with AMC over this issue, as it's hard to be socially-distant when there is someone sitting right next to you. On Monday morning, it was made clear that the issue of these seats would no longer exist, as the ticket-buying program was being updated to keep customers from being too close.

According to Variety, AMC Theatres' ticketing engine will automatically block out seats on either side of a group of seats that has been purchased, but that technology wasn't up and running when tickets first went on sale last week. So, if you buy two seats at an AMC location, those beside your pair should also get listed as unavailable.

While attending a movie at AMC, guests will be required to socially distance themselves from others at all times. Folks will also be required to wear masks from the time they walk in the door, but will be allowed to removed them while eating. The concern for many is that there is no real way to keep track of mask-wearing during the movies.

This first weekend won't have many new releases hitting theaters, as Russell Crowe's Unhinged is the biggest arrival that hasn't previously been released. The 10th anniversary release of Christopher Nolan's Inception is the movie that many will likely head out to see, as it will be accompanied by a sneak preview of Tenet, which arrives on September 4th. Disney's The New Mutants will be released on August 28th.